Ocean thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, generates energy by harnessing the flow of heat from a reservoir of warm surface ocean water to a reservoir of cold water pumped from the deep ocean. The technology is most efficient where the temperature difference is the greatest.

Based on computer simulations constrained by available data, the warm-cold temperature difference is 1 degree Celsius greater in the leeward waters. That translates to about 15 percent more power, an important consideration when gauging the economic feasibility of OTEC as a baseload energy source.